California Dreamers
Works by prominent California artists lead John Moran Auctioneers’ October 23 sale of fine art
Works by prominent California artists lead John Moran Auctioneers’ October 23 sale of fine art
Monrovia, California-based John Moran Auctioneers will host its second California & American Fine Art auction of 2018 on October 23.The sale will feature just fewer than 200 works of art, with the majority being from notable California artists.there will be a number of pieces featuring the vast landscapes of the state, while other California artists’ works depict fartheraway lands.
One such work is Millard Sheets’ 1988 painting Late Afternoon Moon on the Nile, depicting two people riding camelback along the moonlit banks of the Nile.the work, estimated to achieve between $30,000 and $40,000, is one of several from the estate of Sheets that has been consigned by a family member.
Among the sights closer to home is Edgar Payne’s plein air Sierra Nevada scene of Jones Peak that has a presale estimate of $40,000 to $60,000. Morgana Blackwelder, head of the American art department at John Moran, says, the subject matter is “always a throwback to the way what drew people to California and what keeps them here. It’s that mountain majesty, if you will, with nature being grand and accessible to everyone.” Coastal and eucalyptus tree paintings are also prominent in the auction, highlighting the variety of the California terrain. Elmer Wachtel’s Trees in a coastal landscape (est. $3/5,000) is a Carmel coast scene painted in what Blackwelder calls a “quaint size.” She adds that the dimensions “open the door to new collectors of his work, or established collectors who do not have the room for monumental pieces.” A watercolor sketch of Yosemite rock formation El Capitan by Thomas Moran also will come to market.the piece is estimated at $5,000 to $7,000. Alfred Mitchell’s In Yosemite is another work that captures the grandeur of the granite rock formations, and it carries the same presale estimate as the Moran. Maurice Braun’s Mountain and Lake (est. $10/15,000) is a view of the San Diego reservoir Lake Hodges.“the
work is in a more charming size that allows it to be added to any collection,” says Blackwelder.“it’s stylistic and has a very particular color palette. His brushwork is very intrinsic to him and his style of painting. I think that this size translates into a price point that can be added to a more up-and-coming collector of California works. Being site-specific endears it to a specific region of California or buyer that maybe has a home there. It’s a great example by the artist and exactly what you hope to see.”
Most famous for his architectural scenes of San Francisco and Chinatown, Theodore Wores will be represented in the auction by a work that exemplifies his plein air style. Coast Near Santa Barbara, from 1905, depicts the lupines and trees of the region. Blackwelder says,“this is looking at the opposite spectrum of why he loved the area.” The work, which was completed shortly after his return from travels to Hawaii, Samoa and Spain, is expected to sell between $10,000 and $15,000. Other works in the sale include
Joe Duncan Gleason’s U.S. Frigate Constitution (est. $4/6,000), which was one of six original frigates authorized for construction by the U.S. Navy; Paul Lauritz’s Southern California barn (est. $5/7,000); a painting of a bird hunter and his dog by Arthur B. Frost that has a presale estimate of $10,000 to $15,000; and Gene Kloss’ Spring’s Around the Corner, which is a semiabstract landscape that also has an estimate of $10,000 to $15,000.
“We are always striving to provide a buying experience for collectors at all price points, with solid works by known California and American artists that really withstand the test of time,” says Blackwelder.“their subject and quality are a time-honored tradition of celebrating the beauty of the country.”